I have a 2-month-old puppy that we brought home at 1 month old, and she won’t eat anything except meat, fish, and bones. I’ve been trying to give her dry food but she won’t touch it. I even tried leaving her with nothing but dry food for two days, thinking she’d eventually get hungry and eat it, but no joy. Since she doesn’t eat much anyway—barely a quarter of her bowl and she never finishes it—I started adding meat to her dry food, along with a bit of veg, some rice, a little oil, and occasionally eggs (basically half home-cooked, half dry food) just to get her to eat something. But she always manages to pick through it, eating the meat and leaving the rest. I’ve even tried blitzing the dry food and veg in a blender and mixing it with tiny bits of meat, but it makes no difference; she just picks out the meat and leaves the rest.
The strange thing is that for a puppy who supposedly isn't a big eater, as soon as I start cooking or open the fridge, she gets super excited. She’s also very interested when we sit down to dinner and whines for us to give her something. Since we only have coffee tables, if I leave anything out, she’ll try to nick it—I even caught her licking the butter the other day!
Anyway, we’ve just come back from the vet who told us she’s in great health and that she’s gained about 4.4lbs in a month (I’ve no idea how!). She weighs 11lbs at 2 months and should be around 3 stone 2lbs as an adult.
How can I get her used to dry food? I don’t mind her eating meat, but not just meat and bones on their own.
Translated from French
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Hi Doudou and Lorna,
I don't get online every day, so sorry for the late reply. Yes, Simba used to love the water and I lived near the sea back then – it was so handy, he could go whenever he wanted. He was like a cross between a dog and a cat, really easy-going and independent. I had a house in the woods with no fences and he was free to come and go through his dog flap.
It’s not the same relationship I have with Xena; he was almost too easy, he just did his own thing. I never once heard him bark in eight years.
I gave him to a large farm after moving to Manhattan. It was really tough, but he was miserable being cooped up in a flat for those few months – he just wasn't used to it. I preferred for him to live out his days in freedom...
As for the water, yes, it’s great, especially here. We’re going to plant olive trees, caper bushes, all sorts of veg – a bit of polyculture.
At the moment, after the water test, they found it was too salty. I'm gutted, but I think we did the test too early, only two hours after finding the water.
Lorna, that’s not her cushion, she has a much bigger bed! Those are the sofa cushions, but well, she goes wherever she likes...
On the bright side, while looking online I found two boarding kennels that also offer training and obedience classes. Mind you, sighthound training isn't exactly common. It's more like this:
[Image]
But they’re going to call me back today. If I can take her twice a week for some short lessons or even just so she can play with other dogs, that would be brilliant!
I’ll go and watch the videos...
I don't get online every day, so sorry for the late reply. Yes, Simba loved the water and back then I lived near the sea, which was handy – he could go whenever he liked. He was more like a "dog-cat", really easy-going and very independent. I had a house in the woods with no fences and he could come and go as he pleased through a dog flap.
It was a different kind of relationship to the one I have with Xena. He was almost too easy; he just did his own thing. I never heard him bark once in eight years.
I gave him to a large farm after I moved to Manhattan. It was really tough, but he was so miserable during those few months cooped up in a flat – he wasn't used to it. I preferred for him to live out his days in freedom...
Regarding the water, yes, it's brilliant, especially here. We're going to plant olive trees, caper bushes, and all sorts of vegetables – we're going for polyculture.
For now, after testing the water, they found it was too salty. I’m gutted, but I think we did the test too early, only two hours after finding the source.
Lorna, that’s not her bed; she’s got a much bigger one! Those are the sofa cushions, but well, she goes wherever she likes...
On a brighter note, I’ve been looking online and found two boarding kennels that also offer training and obedience classes. Mind you, training a sighthound isn't exactly common. It's more like this:
They’re meant to be calling me back today. If I can take her twice a week for a few classes, or even just so she can play with other dogs, that would be brilliant!
Hi there,
I found this regarding hares; it might be worth having a chat with some local hunters or gamekeepers in your area...
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tularemia
https://www.thefield.co.uk/country-queries/is-it-safe-to-eat-diseased-game-21151
Oxane has been adding field mice to her food bowls 😧
😁 Love at first sight with a puppy is definitely a thing... When we went to pick Volka up as a pup, as soon as we walked through the gate and our eyes met, I knew right then that she was coming home with me. And when she jumped into my arms, I just couldn't let go... that bond... that magic!
I’d never experienced anything quite like it before, even with my first dog who I loved to bits. I actually struggled a bit more to build that same link with Oxane; even though I love her dearly, it wasn't as instant. Even my husband admits that Volka was truly one of a kind.
The photo of Xena in your white duvet is just precious; how could anyone resist that little nose? She looked so tiny... so fragile... ^^
I definitely would’ve caved... 😌 you can tell she’s got a clever little spark in her eye...
You really need to get her used to spending a few hours without you, then build it up to an afternoon, and eventually a whole night, even if it’s heartbreaking. Otherwise, it’ll be too hard on Xena... you’ve got to try and ease her into it as much as possible for later on...
I know it’s going to be tough. I went away for a month once to be with my husband, and I left Volka and our daughter with my parents. It was actually Volka who sulked the most when we got back! She completely snubbed me to go and see my mum; she’d say good morning to my mum before she’d even look at me, and I only got a tiny greeting...
😔 And the worst thing was she was all over my husband, making a huge fuss of him!
So lovely—Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers are beautiful dogs. Did he like the water?
Your water storage sounds great; having your own wells is so useful and vital. Are you going to plant any fruit trees?
Seeing her fast asleep in her "dad’s" arms is pure bliss... she’s absolutely gorgeous.
We’ve actually got three properties: one in the mountains, one by the sea, and one in town. We hardly spend any time in Marrakech at all.
And here’s part of the land on our farm:
It’s impossible to get all 30 acres in photos, it’s just too big. We’ve just found water, hurrah! Everything right up to the hills and a fair bit more around it is fenced off and belongs to us. It’s going to be Xena’s domain and her own personal racetrack—well, not all of it, we still need to plant the trees and veg and actually build the house.
Have you got any photos of Moleton, Lorna?
Doudou, I’d love to start getting her used to being left alone, even if it’s just for half an hour or so. It’s definitely a very sensible idea in principle, but I’ve got the opposite problem to most people who have to leave their puppy alone to go to work. We don’t have set working hours; we’re at home all the time. If we aren't at home, it's because we’re out for a walk in the mountains (and I can't imagine going for a hike and leaving her at home, it feels a bit cruel). Our lifestyle is a bit different: no 9-to-5, living out in nature, and if we go out, it’s to travel or go walking. For the shopping, we have someone who brings it to us, or we head into Marrakech and always take Xena with us because we stay overnight. And I don’t want to leave her all alone all night just yet.
I know it’s going to be a real shock to the system in May, but I’ll do everything I can so that her amazing surroundings make up for us being away.
So there we go—getting this attached to a puppy in just a month is probably totally daft, but that’s exactly what’s happened to us.
Have a lovely evening, everyone.
Tania, your Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs are stunning; I’ve always been fascinated by wolves and wolfdogs, they're the dream for me. Doudou, I had a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, such a sweetheart. La Curieuse, Xena might look ever so sweet, but she’s a right little monkey—sweet and a little monster at the same time, but that’s why we love her. Lorna, now that I’ve discovered sighthounds, I think I’m going to become obsessed, just like your childhood neighbours. They’re such sensitive "dog-cats"... I’m sure Xena won’t be an only dog for very long!
I’m back! She’s just conked out after a really long walk, some couscous (yes, I know, it’s Friday again!) and a game of chase with me… She’s having a nap with my husband… I’m making the most of some downtime because in two days I’ll be absolutely swamped with clients.
It’s crazy how much Lorna has grown in just two weeks. The first photos were at 1 month and 1.5 months; today’s photos are at 2 months. She’s a bit of a giant for a two-month-old… Believe me, I can really feel it when she stretches out in bed. It’s not like we have a King size!
We move her back down to our feet at the start of the night when she climbs up, but she always manages to sneak back in between us in the middle of the night. If she keeps growing at this rate, it’ll be us ending up on the floor. Mind you, if we did end up on the floor, she’d probably just come down with us… They say Sloughis are supposed to be "one-person dogs" and we’re wondering who it’s going to be; I’m the only one she licks for now, but she seems to listen to my husband more. We’ll see…
This is a photo from the first day, in her hay bag:
I feed them at the dining table and also at the coffee table in the lounge; I even leave little treats on the coffee table on purpose as a temptation (I'm a bit naughty like that, I love teasing my Labs and my Goldie...) 😏
However, begging, whining, stealing, or yapping is strictly forbidden...
I don't mind them watching me or lying at my feet at the table or right next to me, and with just a look (and a little hand gesture) I give them the 'ok' to take it. (Or I'll give them a verbal cue from across the room like "go on then" or a "YES").
Volka used to do a little cough ( a very subtle clearing of the throat) to ask me...
Ixia the Golden (my mum lets her get away with more than I do; she's allowed to hop up on the chair next to her and whine, or even bark)—but at my house, even if my mum is visiting, Ixia doesn't try to whine and doesn't get on the chairs... and there's no barking allowed...
Oxane is a bit more of a brute (sitting or lying down with massive sweeping tail wags and very insistent staring).
I love that last photo in the sphinx pose.
